Cotton-picker.



B. WORTHINGTON.

COTTON PICKER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 26, 1910.

1,012,497. Patented Dec. 19, 1911.

HTS-SHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH CO-IWASHXNOTON- D- c.

B. WORTHINGTON.

COTTON PIGKEE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 26, 1910.

Patented Dec. 19, 1911.

2 BHEETB-BHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH CO.,WASIIINGTON. n. u,

UNITED STATES FATENT OFFICE.

BRUCE WORTHINGTON, OF WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR T0 WORTHINGTONCOTTON HARVESTER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

COTTON-PICKER.

Application filed November 26, 1910.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, BRUCE WVoR'ri-im GTON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Winchester, in the county of Frederick and State ofVirginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Pickers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for picking cotton.

One of the main difficulties in picking cotton with cotton pickersheretofore devised, is the difliculty of getting rid of the cotton asthe same is picked, that is to say, conveying the same to a readilyaccessible point, where it can be removed from the picker or deliveredin a suitable receptacle.

One of the primary objects of this invention is to provide a picker thatwill auto matically convey cotton to a suitable receptacle readilyaccessible to the operator who can, from time to time, remove theaccumulated cotton and make such disposition of it as may seem to him tobe most suitable.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device that will embodysuch construction as will operate upon the cotton alone, completelystripping the same from the pods without carrying with it leaves orother undesirable things, and apicker that will operate upon what isknown as tightbolls with the same ease and efficiency as that obtainingin picking fuller, riper cotton.

A further object of the invention is to provide a light device of thischaracter which may be readily handled by the operator, and of suchconstruction that little power will be required to drive its drivenparts and one which may be very rapidly manipulated by the operator togive that freedom in movement necessary in the efficient picking ofcotton, all of the details of which construction, enabling me to attainthese objects, will be described in the following specification.

In the drawings: Figure l is a perspective view of the device with thecotton receptacle broken away; Fi 2 is a longitudinal section of thepicker; Fig. 3 is a rear elevation and partial section; Fig. 1 is a planview; and Fig. 5 is a detail view of a section of the belt.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the frame of thepicker. This is constituted in the main, by a top plate 2 andSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1911.

Serial No. 594,365.

a bottom plate 3, which plates are preferably constructed of metal, bothon account of the strength of such material, and the fact that themetallic surface will wear very smooth and especially the surface uponthe top plate, facilitating the operation of the picker, as will becomemore apparent later on.

The plates 2 and 3 are preferably triangular in shape, thus presentingat the inner end of the picker, widened ends 4 and 5, and at the forwardpart of the picker, a pointed end 6. The inner ends of the picker arespaced apart and rigidly held together by oppositely disposed standards7 secured in any suitable way to the under side of the plate 2 and theupper side of the plate 3. J ournaled in bearings 8 in these standardsis a transvprse shaft 9, which carries a sprocket wheel 10 upon whichruns an endless belt 11. provided at intervals with picker pins 12. Thisbelt, at the forward end of the picker runs on a sprocket 13 mountedupon a very short shaft 14, mounted in suitable bearings 15 in thepointed end of the picker. The plates 2 and 3 are provided withelongated slots 16 and 17 in the upper and lower plates respectively.These slots are for the passage of the picker pins 12 which, in theoperation of the picker disappear below the surface of the plate 2, atthe end of the slot 16, withdrawing these fromthe cotton and depositingthe same upon the inclined surface of the upper plate. The upper plateis provided with short upwardly extending flanges 18 which form a sortof a trough for properly guiding the cotton toward the rear end or theoperator end of the picker. These flanges extend to the slightly flaringmouth 19 of a chute 20, through which the cotton is forced. The innerend of this chute is preferably widened and deepened to form a temporarystorage receptacle 21 conveniently located, so that the operator may,from time to time, reach the receptacle and remove the accumulatedcotton therefrom and place the same in larger receptacles which may bearranged therefor, as the exigencies of the case may require. I providethe top of the chute 20 with a hinged cover 22, thus making the interiorof the chute accessible at all times to readily remedy any ditlicultiesthat may occur from clogging, should such a thing occur.

The numeral 23 designates a short vertical sleeve rigidly mounted on thebottom plate 3 of the picker, at the rear end thereof, through whichpasses a short vertical shaft 2 1 having mounted on the upper endthereof a beveled gear wheel 25 in mesh with a similar wheel keyed tothe horizontal driving shaft 9. To the lower end of the shaft 24 isattached preferably a flexible driving shaft 27 which may extend to anysuitable sort of power for driving the belt. Attached to the bottomplate is a handle 28 by which the operator may support the picker andconveniently manipulate it in all directions, during the operation ofthe device.

In order that the belt may be positively driven which is preferred, Ipreferably form the same of metallic links of usual construction adaptedto engage the sprocket teeth. Attached to the metallic part of the beltis a flexible part 11, preferably leather, of sufficient thickness tosupport the headed picker pins with sufficient rigidity to cause them tooperate properly upon the cotton, as it is picked from the pod, but atthe same time to permit them to yield slightly when meeting resistance.This resistance which they are intended to yield to, occurs adjacent tothe open mouth of the chute 20, where the cotton, which has been picked,forces a portion of the cotton which has been-previously picked, intothe mouth of the chute, the action of the picker pins being in eflect,to withdraw them slantingly from the cotton at this point, so that therewill be no tendency on the part of the pins to carry any of the cottonthrough the slot 16 in the top of the picker.

In operation, motion is, imparted to the driving shaft 9, and throughthe shaft to the belt 11, which bears the pins of the belt successivelyto a position radial to the shaft 14. These pins will completely stripthe cotton from the pod into which the pointed end of the device hasbeen extended, carrying the cotton toward the mouth of the chute andforcing the same therein by the succeeding mass of cotton which isconstantly following upon the picker pins; thus a constant bulk ofpicked cotton will be forced from the pointed end of the picker, throughthe chute 20, where, from the rear end of said chute, it flows into thetemporary receptacle provided therefor, from which it may be removed,from time to time, by the operator.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a cotton picking tool, the combination with an endless carrierhaving a series of picker pins non-rotatably mounted there on andadapted to be extended into the cotton to be picked, a member arrangedabove the carrier and extending rearwardly and away at an angle withrelation to the path of movement of said carrier, said member having astripping slot therein at its forward end through which the picker pinstion of an endless carrier having a series of picker pins non-rotatablymounted thereon and adapted to be extended into the cotton to be picked,a member above the carrier and extending rearwardly and away at an anglerelative to the path of movement of the carrier, stripping means carriedby the forward end of said member through which the picker pins pass,whereby, due to the inclination of said member relative to the path ofmovement of the picker pins, the cotton is stripped from the pins as thecarrier passes toward the operator.

3. In a cotton picking tool, the combination of an endless carrierhaving a series of picker pins non-rotatably mounted thereon and adaptedto be extended into the cotton to be picked, a member above said carrierand extending rearwardly and away at an angle with relation to the pathof movement of the carrier, said member having a strip I sprocket wheelsover which said carrier passes, means for driving said sprocket wheelsand thereby the carrier, a member above the carrier and extendingrearwardly and away with relation to the path of move ment of the saidcarrier, said member having a stripping slot in its forward end, throughwhich the picker pins pass, whereby, due to the inclination of saidmember relative to the path of movement of the picker pins, the pickedcotton is stripped therefrom, as

the picker pins move toward the operator,

and means for directing the picked cotton toward the rear of the picker,

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BRUCE VVORTHINGTON.

WVitnesses ARTHUR L. BRYANT, FRANK G. BRERETON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

